‘Moonrise Kingdom’ Breaks Limited Release Opening Records

After over a decade of mixed reviews and lacking box office returns, Wes Anderson seems poised to have another breakout hit on his hands. Moonrise Kingdom, which is currently at a career-high 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, made $669,486 over Memorial Day Weekend on just four screens. The film ended up averaging $130,752 per theater over the weekend, beating the previous record average held by Dreamgirls. It’s hard to guarantee this will mean large box office returns when the film opens wide in June but it sure is heartening. Since The Royal Tenebaums in 2001, Wes Anderson has struggled to build much momentum for his films. The Darjeeling Limited and Life Aquatic both weren’t particularly critically lauded and underperformed financially. 2009’s Fantastic Mr. Fox was well received but still managed only $21 million. Wes Anderson is definitely not for everyone but he surely is distinct and deserving of respect. And the film looks really good. Did any of you see it yet? How great was Bill Murray? The greatest!? I knew it.